


Cinderella Finnderella

by girlsandanimeboys



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Cinderella AU, M/M, Prince!Poe, and of course fairy godmother!han, cinderella!finn, this fits too well for stormpilot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7522411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsandanimeboys/pseuds/girlsandanimeboys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn works tirelessly for his stepfather and his stepsiblings with little complaint. When invitations for a ball being thrown in Prince Poe's honor are sent out, Finn wishes for one thing-- to share a dance with the prince. With the help of his best friend and his fairy godfather, his dreams may be about to come true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cinderella Finnderella

**Author's Note:**

> Someone beat me to the punch on this but it doesn't change the fact that Poe and Finn are perfect for a Cinderella AU :D. This is my first Stormpilot story so I hope I do the characters justice!

“Finn, guess what?” Rey said excitedly.

“What? And don’t lean against the counter!” He frantically wiped the spot where Rey had rested. “Seriously, if Mr. Ren finds out I had company over he’ll have my ass.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you call him that. Where’s the evil stepfather anyway?”

“What else would I call him? Dad?” Finn shuddered at the thought. “He’s visiting some friends with Hux and Phasma.”

“I don’t know why you stay with them. You know my mom is always looking for someone new to adopt.” Rey insisted.

Her mom, the Queen. “Like I’ve said before, I’m not taking advantage of your mom’s kindness. That wasn’t your surprise, was it?”

Rey frowned, but let it go. “Remember how we’re throwing a huge ball in Poe’s honor?”

“Yeah?” It was the talk of the town. All of the rich and upper middle class citizens received an invitation, and the rumor had it that Poe, the prince, was looking for someone to marry.

She whipped out a glossy piece of paper. “I hope you’re ready to party!”

Finn grabbed it out of her hand. It said in a curly, golden font: _You are cordially invited to a grand ball at the Royal Castle._

“Rey…”

“I can’t wait for you and Poe to meet. I know you’ll hit it off.”

“Me and the prince? Wait, wait, Rey, I can’t. Mr. Ren will never let me go.” It hurt to say, but he knew it was true. Mr. Ren enjoyed destroying the things Finn loved right in front of his face. He wouldn’t let him have fun playing in a trash can, much less a royal ball.

Rey shrugged. “So what? Just sneak out. I know the wicked stepkids wouldn’t miss the chance to kiss Poe’s ass. After they leave, you go.”

“I’ve got nothing to wear!”

“Do I have to do everything for you?” Rey joked. “I’ll give you one of Poe’s old suits.”

They stood in silence for a moment while Finn mulled over his options. On the one hand, if he got caught sneaking out or worse at the ball, Mr. Ren would definitely lock him in the cellar for a month, maybe more. On the other hand, he was in the mood to have some fun. Plus the thought of meeting the prince in person...It was no contest.

“Alright, I’ll go. But you’re not stealing a suit for me. If you have any fabric to spare, I’ll make my own.”

She nudged him. “Yeah, Finn, I’m sure I can scrounge up some leftover fabric. It’s not like there’s a whole room of it for the Royal Seamstress.”

Finn nudged her back. “Alright, princess.”

 

+++

 

Sometimes, Rey took a step back to marvel at her life.

She was only nine when Queen Leia took her in off the street, and every day has been a whirlwind since then. She exchanged dirty rags for pretty dresses and gained a brother, Poe (who Leia had taken in as a toddler after his parents died on the battlefront). Even so, she knew who she was, and it wasn’t a princess.

She was clear to Leia she had no intention of making a run for the throne. Poe was much better at diplomacy than she was, and she felt she had skills better suited to become a smith. Leia took it surprisingly well. She sent Rey to train under her brother Luke, so that someday she might be in charge of making weapons for the Royal Guard.

Now she lived in two separate worlds. There was the one with Luke, where she was worked to bone and loved it, wore dirty clothes, and swore like a sailor. In that world, nobody cared where she was going or what she was doing. Even the townspeople got over the marvel of having the princess in their midst. She was free to steal Finn away from his crappy family and get into trouble.

As soon as Rey stepped into the castle, she stepped into another world. In this one, the maids and servants bowed to her as she passed, despite how much she told them not. She had to take a shower before dinner and get changed into her nicely pressed, clean dress (“You know I don’t care,” Leia told her once. “But you never know a noble or a diplomat is going to show without so much as a warning. We must always be prepared to entertain, Rey.”) She was expected to be display a certain level of maturity and elegance at all time. She loved her life at the castle all the same, though. She wouldn’t trade her family for anything in the world.

Speaking of— “Rey!”

Rey turned around to see Poe running up to her. “Poe, how was your day?”

“What?” He looked caught off-guard. “Good, good. I managed to ditch my history lesson again.”

“Threepio is going to catch you one of these days.”

“Yeah, he probably will—This isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about!” Poe stood in front of her. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“No.” She barely stopped to think about.

“Hear me out.” Poe’s pleading face appealed to a softer side of her. A side that was constantly getting her in trouble.

She groaned. “Go ahead.”

They started walking down the hallway together. “I need you to tell Mom to cancel the ball.”

Silence.

Then, “No way! I can’t believe you would ask me that!”

“I’m begging you, Rey! She’ll listen to you, you’re her favorite.”

“Oh, without a doubt.” Rey agreed. “The party is for _you_ . If _you_ don’t want it, then tell Mom that.”

“I tried! She kept saying that she wasn’t trying to set me up with anyone and that the ball is just to ‘celebrate all my accomplishments’.”

“See? Nobody is trying set you up. You’re too paranoid.” Speaking of, she had to get the fabric for Finn’s suit. She knew that once Poe met Finn he’d forget all that stupid talk about not wanting to meet anyone.

Rey hadn’t realized they had already arrived at the dinner table until Poe and her sat down. “You don’t think this is her way of trying to find me a bride at all?”

“No. You’re overthinking this, Poe, really.”

Leia walked in and they stood up and greeted her in unison. She nodded, and they all sat down to wait for dinner to be serve.

“Rey, you’re supposed to shower before dinner.” Leia scolded.

“Sorry, I forgot.” The talk with Poe distracted her.

“It’s alright. I’m not accepting any unexpected visitors for a while, I need some peace.” Leia paused to rubbed her temples.

It made Rey wish there was something she could do to help take her stress, but Leia told her time and time that the job was the job, and the only thing that took away her stress was seeing her children happy.

She turned to Poe with a hint of a smile. “You wouldn’t believe how many RSVPs we’ve received in mail for the ball already. I imagine there’ll be plenty of beautiful men and women coming.”

Poe gave Rey a hard side eye. “Actually, Mom, I was thinking about it and all of this is really unnecessary. I’d rather celebrate with just you and Rey.”

“That’s sweet of you to say. However, it’s a little too late for that. I’ve already got people coming from all over.” Leia paused as the servants placed their food in front of them. “Besides, nothing’s wrong inviting people over every once in awhile.”

Poe said nothing else, and dinner went on as usual. Leia told them about her day and asked Rey about hers, to which Rey responded with a broad overview (for some reason, she never told her family about the specifics of her life working with Luke. She liked keeping the worlds separate).  

All of a sudden, Poe said, “I don’t understand why it’s so important that I get married. You’re not married and you’re fine.”

Rey’s fork clattered against her plate as she slapped his shoulder. “Poe, watch it.”

Poe instantly looked remorseful. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” They both knew about how Leia’s husband died in the war that happened years before they born, and they knew how much it affected her to this day.

Leia placed her hand on top of his. “It’s alright, Poe. It’s got nothing to do with politics, you know that. There have been plenty of king and queens who ruled without being married.”

“Then why?”

“Because you’re my son and I can tell that you’re lonely.” Leia put a hand up to stop his protests. “I know it’s not my business, but you can’t blame me for wanting to help to out a little. This job you’re preparing for isn’t easy, Poe, I know that more than anyone. It’s even harder without someone to share the burden with. That’s why…” She hesitated. “I’ve been seeing someone for a while now.”

Both of their mouths dropped open and they started talking at once.

“What?”

“Since when?”

“What’s his name?”

“Is he cute?”

“Where did you even meet him?”

“Why haven’t you mentioned him before?”

Leia waved off the questions. “I’ve been meaning to introduce him to you for a while. But it’s difficult right now. He’s a little out of this world, to say the least.”

“He actually exists, right?” Rey asked skeptically.

“That sounds like someone who wants to be grounded.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

Leia cleared her throat. “Anyway, the ball is still on. I’m confident you’ll meet someone you won’t be able to get off your mind.”

“Yeah, Poe. I invited a friend I’m sure you’ll—”

“Stop right there, Rey.” Pot cut in. “I thought we agreed that your days of matchmaking were over.”

“Okay, I’ve made some mistakes, sure—”

“That girl with the glass eye hasn’t stopped sending me threatening letters.” Poe reminded her. “I’ll try to have a better attitude about the dance, but you’re done setting me up with people.”

Before Rey could argue, Poe finished his food and excused himself.  

“I’m sure whoever you invited will be lovely.” Leia took a sip of her drink. “Just make sure they’re mentally stable this time.”

 

+++

 

Finn whistled jovially as he swept the floor. Today was the day of the ball, and everything had fallen into place. He decided to give his caretaker the benefit of the doubt and begged him to let him go the party. Unfortunately, Hux and Phasma happened to be passing by the study as he asked and flew into the room once he asked.

“He can’t go!” Phasma shrieked. “The prince is looking for someone to marry. He’ll only embarrass us!”

“A mere peasant like him has no place in the court. You can’t be seriously thinking about letting him go, Father.” Hux looked him up and down and sneered. “It’s not like he has anything to wear.”

Finn ignored the both of them. “I’ll make my own suit. You don’t have to take me with you; I’ll find my own way there.”

Ren didn’t say a word, just continued tapping the armrest of the chair he was sitting in. “You’re forgetting the fact that it’s an invite-only party. They’re not allowing any sort of riff-raff to come.”

Again, Finn ignored the thinly veiled barb. “The princess has given me an invitation.”

Hux and Phasma sucked in a breath. They barely spared the effort to hide their disgust for Rey who in their eyes, “disgraced the crown by acting like a commoner”.

Ren stared at him and he stared back, so that Ren could see the conviction in his eyes. After a few minutes, Ren said, “Fine. On two conditions.”

Finn barely stopped himself from pumping a fist in the air. “Okay.”

“First, you stay away from us the entire night. I don’t want anyone thinking that we’d be associated with each other. Second, this house must be spotless, top to bottom, or you cannot go.”

Finn nodded eagerly. “I’ll do all that. Thank you, Mr. Ren!”

He ran out the room before Hux and Phasma changed his mind.

His outfit was already done. The fabric Rey got him was crisp and soft, and he made a standard black suit with it. He’d woken up early to clean the house level by level, and he was confident that he’d be done by tonight.

He couldn’t wait. He could see the fancy dresses and proper suits the nobility would wear, smell the sumptuous food that was sure to be served, and hear the lively music that would be playing as everyone danced. Most of all, he was nervous and excited at the thought of seeing the prince up close and in person.

Finn saw him once, at the market. Poe was very active in the community, one of the many reasons everyone loved him. He didn’t view himself as above the townspeople despite being royalty and went out of his way to help out in the poorer parts of town. That day, he was donating clothes and food to anyone who needed them. Finn only happened to be there on coincidence, since he managed to convince Mr. Ren to let him go out and Rey was too busy to hang out (“I have to finish this dagger by today or Luke will have my ass. Say hi to my brother  for me. I hear he’s showing off today.”). A huge crowd filled up the entire area. He tried to shove himself towards the front but he didn’t get very far. In the distance, he saw Poe on a rich black horse laughing with one of his guards.

Finn took away several things from that experience. First, the prince was incredibly handsome. His hair ruffled in the wind and his laughter made his whole face light up. Second, he exuded goodness. Poe lifted the townspeople's spirits just by being there.  Finn saw kids climb up onto their parents’ shoulders to get a better look at him. When the prince waved at the crowd, the children burst out into smiles and waved back. Unlike the other kingdoms in the land he had often heard about, the prince genuinely cared about his subjects. It made Finn think that he wouldn’t mind talking to him.

 _Yeah right. He’ll be too busy dealing with_ real _nobles to talk to a peasant like me._ Finn laughed it off, coming back to the present. _I shouldn’t even bother._

By the time Finn finished cleaning the whole house, it was time to get ready for the ball. Ren ordered him to help Phasma and Hux get ready first and he did so without complaint. He didn’t want to do anything that would make Ren change his mind about letting him go. If that meant enduring several verbal attacks, he would do it silently.

However, Hux said nothing to him as Finn helped him into his suit. Phasma was the same, except for when he went to help her put up her hair and she smacked his hand away.

“I won’t have your filthy hands touching my hair.” she hissed.

Finn nodded and walked away. Before he made it out the door Phasma said, “Don’t forget that you are worth nothing. You don’t deserve to breathe the same air as the Royal Family, and certainly not to walk among them. You should remember your place.”

“As long as you remember that under all that makeup, you’re an ugly person.” He slammed the door shut before she could say anything.

Finn entered his room and exhaled deeply. He leaned against the door to see if Phasma was coming to retaliate. Fortunately, all he heard were her footsteps going down the stairs. He went to his closet to grab his suit for the dance, and that’s when he noticed that his closet was wide open.

 _That’s strange. I always keep my closet door closed._ He didn’t need anyone snooping through his stuff (however little of it there was). He peered inside.

In a flash he was thundering down into the kitchen where Phasma and Hux were having a glass of wine. “Who did this?” he said, voice calm.

In his hand was his suit, or what was left of it. The suit jacket was punctured with jagged holes and the button up was slashed into strips. The seams of the pants were torn out, even the tie was smeared with something.

“Who did this?” he shouted.

Both of them jumped. Finn never raised his voice, ever. “Calm yourself. If you misplaced your suit, it has nothing to with us.” Hux replied cooly.

“I put this suit in my closet! The only place in this house that belongs to me!” Finn got in their faces. “I don’t care if I have to spend all night sewing. I’m going to the ball and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

A flash of fear passed through both their faces for a split second. Then Ren walked into the room with a drink and said, “What’s going on here?”

He shoved the clothes in Ren’s face. “They ruined my suit.”

He almost thought his stepfather was going to stick up for him, almost. Finn looked into his eyes and  an absence of any glimmer of human compassion. He knew he was truly fucked then.

“I don’t care what happened to your suit. If you don’t have the proper attire, you cannot attend the ball.”

Finn clutched the fabric tightly. “I’ll fix it. I’ll be a little late but I’ll fix it, I swear!”

Ren took a sip of his wine, murmuring in appreciation. Then he smashed the glass against the floor and broke it into tiny pieces.

“This place is filthy. As I remember it, I told you can’t go unless this place is spotless.”

“Please, Mr. Ren. Don’t do this.” He was desperate now, and near tears.

His stepfather only gave Finn a cruel smile. “A deal is a deal. You’ll stay home and re-clean this whole place. And if I catch you at the dance, I’ll drag you home myself and lock you in the wine cellar for a month. Is that clear?”

He sunk to his knees. “Yes, sir.”

Phasma’s shrill laughter echoed in his ears as the three of them swept through the kitchen and out of the door. He stayed there on the ground, breathing heavily. Before he knew what he was doing, he stood up. He grabbed a plate and threw it against the wall with a shout. And then another, then another.

Then, he broke down with a sob.

 

+++

 

After hours, Finn stopped crying. He curled up on his small bed and stared at the ceiling. All the anger and sadness had left his body, leaving only numbness. He was stupid to think Ren would ever actually let him go to the ball. There was no reason for his stepfather to do anything that would make Finn happy. It was stupid to get his hopes up.

He hoped that Rey wouldn’t noticed that he hadn’t shown up. He had no will to sneak out. What was the point? He’d play pretend with the nobles for a little bit and then he’d go back to his crappy life where he was less than dirt. Phasma was right, he wasn’t fit to lick the prince’s shoes.

He rolled over to bury his face into his pillow. _All I wanted was a fun night. I thought I deserved that much. If I could’ve made one happy memory, it would’ve made all this pain worth it._ Finn was so caught up in his thoughts, he failed to notice a blue glow fill the room. Tears welled up in his eyes again and he furiously wiped them away.

“No need to cry, young man. I’m here to make all your dreams come true.” A gruff voice said behind him. “I hate that line. Makes me sound suspicious.”

Finn was already up out of bed and clutching his bedside lamp. “Who the hell are you?”

Standing in the middle of the room was an elderly man dressed in normal clothes, but with vibrant blue wings stretched out behind him. “I’m Han, your fairy godfather.”

Finn stared at him with his mouth open. “Right. Look, I’d love to let you rob the place. In fact that’d make me pretty damn happy, but I’d probably get locked in the cellar for two months. So you’re gonna have to leave.” He raised up his lamp. “Or I’ll  have to make you leave.”

“I’m not a burglar. My job is to help out poor souls like yourself.”

“Okay, I’m gonna count to ten before I start swinging this around—”

“You want to go to the ball, right?”

Finn froze. “How did you know that?”

The so called fairy rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “The same way I know that your name is Finn, and that your deepest desire is to share a dance with the prince.” He thought it over. “Along with getting out of this hellhole.”

Finn kept his guard up. “Okay, then what are you doing here?”

“Listen a little, kid. I’m here to make your dreams come true, however creepy that sounds. So put the lamp down and let’s get started.”

He backed up as Han walked forward. “I don’t think so.”

The fairy pinched the bridge of his nose. “We don’t have time for this.” He snapped his fingers and the lamp instantly disappeared from Finn’s hands.

Finn gaped at his palm. “Oh my god.”

“Yeah, I know this is crazy. No, you’re not in a dream and no, you don’t have to pay me. Let’s skip the disbelief and get right to part where you trust me and do whatever I say.”

Finn nodded. “One more question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why are doing this?”

Han regarded him with a cool, leveled look. “Because it’s my job to grant happiness to people who deserve it like yourself, kid. ”

Finn nodded again, more confident. “Okay.”

Han put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get to work.”

 

+++

 

Rey glanced at the clock for the hundredth time. The ball had been going on for hours and Finn was nowhere to be seen. She saw that the evil stepfather and kids had managed to arrive on time without Finn. She contemplated sneaking out to go look for Finn, to make sure that her friend was okay.

 _It won’t be easy._ she thought. Right now she sat at a table placed at the the uppermost front of the room, the “Royal” table. It was reserved for Leia, Poe, and her, and it gave her a perfect view of all the guests. The problem was all the guests had a perfect view of her as well, and if she were to get up and walk out it wouldn’t take long for people to notice.

Poe slumped down loudly beside her, wrinkling his pure white suit. “I’m trying, Rey.”

“Hm?” Her mind was still on Finn.

“I’ve danced with almost everyone here, some people twice but…” Poe waved a waiter carrying a tray of drinks over.

He smiled sadly. “None of these people care about the real me. All that matters to them is that I’m the prince and marrying me gets you in the castle.”

Rey rubbed his shoulder. “Poe, that’s not true.”

 “It’s fine. That’s what I was trying to tell you and Mom. I don’t need to find someone right away. I’m happy enough on my own.” He sighed. “There’s no point in getting my hopes up.”

“Don’t give up yet.” Rey encouraged. “It always happens when you least expect it.”

Poe laughed. “In fairytales, yeah. That kind of thing would never happen to m—”Poe’s eyes went wide. “Who is that?”

Rey followed his line of sight and gasped.

It was Finn and he looked _stunning._ He was wearing a rich blue suit jacket and pants, both which hugged his body perfectly, with white button up and a black tie. Rey knew without a doubt that Finn had to have gotten that outfit from someone else, because if they had fabric that luxurious in the castle Rey might’ve worn the dresses the seamstress kept pushing on her.

Poe’s jaw was lying somewhere on the floor. “He’s beautiful. I’ve never seen him around at any of the nobles’ events.” Poe turned to her. “Have you met him before?”

Rey hesitated. Poe reminded her again before the dance about the no match-making rule, despite her attempts to persuade him otherwise. If she told him that Finn and her were friends he might not give Finn a fair chance.

So she said, “No, never. I think I would remember him.”

Finn looked confused as ever, taking everything in at once. Rey held back a giggle and glanced at Poe, who still couldn’t find it in himself to close his mouth.

Rey grinned. “You should ask him to dance.”

“No way! Look at him, he’s not going to want to dance with me.”

Rey flicked his forehead. “Idiot, did you forget that you’re next line to become the King of this entire kingdom? Everyone here wants to dance with you!”

“You don’t know that!”

This was one of the annoying/endearing things about Poe. For all the bravery and bravado that he shows in truth Poe gets nervous and embarrassed like everyone else. Especially when he’s caught off guard. Rey knew she’d have to be the one to give him a shove.

“What if I go and ask him?” she suggested. “I could chat him up and if things look good, I’ll wave you over.”

Poe looked conflicted. “You’d do that for me? Wait, no, that would be weird.”

Rey stood up. “It won’t weird, I’m great at getting people to warm up to me. And even if it is, I’m willing to go through that for you because you deserve to find true love, Poe.”

He grabbed her hand, and at first she thought it was his way of stopping her. But instead, he squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Rey.”

She smiled. “You owe me one.”

 

+++

 

The bright lights of the castle ballroom overwhelmed Finn. He pinched himself five times on the carriage ride over here until Han made him stop. This had to be a dream, it had to. Fairies don’t  show up and dress him up in a fancy suit and whisk him away in a nice carriage. Any minute now, he’d wake up in his scruffy clothes with puffy eyes from all the crying. Good things like this didn’t happen to him.

Dream or not, it didn’t change the fact that he was here. He was going to make the most of it. Han had been pretty clear that the magic he used was on borrowed time.

“Do whatever you need to do by midnight,” Han advised while they were in the carriage. “Magic doesn’t care about dreams. If you’re not outta there when the clock strikes twelve, you’re gonna have to ride a pumpkin back home.”

Finn nodded. “I got it.”

Once they had arrived, he took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance.

Han stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. “Kid, one more thing.”

“What?”

“Try to have fun.” The way Han was grinning made him grin back, and his nerves calmed down a little bit.

The fairie’s words bounced around in his head as he walked through the hall. Everything looked just as he imagined it to. Strings of lights hung across the ceiling, brightening every corner of the hall. The wealthy men and women were dressed in their fanciest clothes. The men glided their dates across the dance floor to live classical music.

 _I don’t belong here. I don’t belong here._ These thoughts kept running through his head. He wanted to turn around and walk right out the door, but his fears were nothing compared to his will. _I will have a good time. I will have fun._

“Finn!”

Like a miracle, Finn heard a familiar voice in the sea of unfamiliar faces. “Rey?”

Rey ran up to him and lightly punched his shoulder. “Finn, where have you been? I’ve been waiting forever for you.”

“Ren screwed me over, nothing new.” That was the last thing Finn wanted to think about. “I’m here now.”

“Yeah and you look great!” Rey eyed him up and down. “Who gave you these clothes? Our seamstress could only dream to make something this beautiful!”

“That’s a long, unbelievable story.” Finn simply said. “I’ll tell you later.”

Rey said something else, but Finn couldn’t shake the nagging the feeling that someone was watching him. His gaze went past Rey to the front of the room, where the one table was set aside from the rest. He was shocked to see that as he noticed the prince sitting at that table by himself, the prince was already looking at him.  As soon as their eyes met Poe jostled violently and knocked over his drink. He grabbed the napkins around the table and frantically mopped up mess, calling over a waiter to help.

“Idiot.” Rey whispered softly.  

“I must be crazy. I could’ve sworn the prince was looking at me.”

“Oh, you’re not.” she assured him. “Poe hasn’t been able to take his eyes off of you since you walked through the door.”

Heat rose to his face at once. “Yeah, right.”

“Seriously! He sent me over here to ask you to dance. In fact—” Rey made a signal behind her back. Poe got up and starting coming over.

“Wait, what? The prince is walking over here. I need to go, I can’t do this!” Before Finn could retreat Rey stopped him.

“Finn, you two will get along well. Relax, okay?” Rey glanced behind her. “By the way, don’t let Poe know we know each other. Blame a girl with a glass eye and a nasty temper.”

Before Finn could ask what the hell she meant by that, the prince was in front of them.

“Hello.” he said, so suave and cool that Finn wanted to melt right there.

“Hi!” He winced. His voice was way too loud and he knew it. “Hey, hello. I mean, good evening Your Majesty.” He hoped that God might kill him before he said another greeting.

Thankfully, the prince didn’t get annoyed, or act like he was annoyed. “I don’t think we’ve met before. My name is Poe. You?”

Finn almost laughed. Who didn’t know him? “I’m Finn.”

The prince took his hand and kissed his palm gently. “Thank you for coming. I hope you’re enjoying the party.”

The sensation of the prince’s _lips on his hand_ rendered him speechless. He kept opening and closing his mouth till he managed to eke out, “Yeah.”

They both went quiet. Finn took the chance to fully admire him, now that he was actually they were actually standing in front of each other. Poe was truly beautiful. He could have anyone he wanted in this place and he was here, with him.  

They both jumped when Rey cleared her throat. “Wow, is that Jessika? I need to talk to her.” She gave him a knowing look and walked away.

“R—Your Highness!” Finn called after her. “My family?”

Rey gave him a thumbs up. “They’re taken care of.”

Then it’s just him and Poe. _Alone._

Poe stepped closer, a move that doesn’t go unnoticed by Finn. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Is your family from around here?”

“Uh, no! We traveled here from...Jakku! Yeah, Jakku.” Finn mentally himself. _Jakku? That’s the best place you could think of?_

“The desert land?” Poe scrunched his eyebrows. “I didn’t think anyone would choose to live there, much less nobility.” Poe quickly backtracked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult your homeland. I’m sure there are many beautiful parts to Jakku.”

Poe was blushing, and Finn made his mouth move before he started staring again. “It’s okay. That’s why we had to get away, all that sand was driving us crazy.”

He was about to say something else when, in the distance, Finn thought he saw his stepfather. Without even thinking about it, he grabbed Poe by his shoulders used him as a shield. He waited for what felt like forever before stepping back. When he scanned the crowd again, Mr. Ren was nowhere in sight. He exhaled in deep relief. Then he woke up and realized what he was doing.

Finn snatched his hands back. “Sorry, I didn’t—Sorry.”

Poe grinned. “You should ask me to dinner first.”

He smiled back. “Sorry, I thought I saw someone I knew.”

“From Jakku?” Before Finn could answer, the music started up again. Couples flooded the dance floor in a rush.

Poe offered him his hand. “Finn, may I have this dance?”

Finn nodded eagerly. “Yes, of course.”

 

+++

 

The first few songs were happy and light. He laughed as the prince spun him around to the beat of the face paced tune. They’re still catching their breaths when the music shifts to a sweet, slow song. Finn felt his heartbeat pick up as Poe put a hand on waist and pulled him in closer.

“You’re a good dancer, Finn.” Poe said as they swayed carefully.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ve practiced my dancing skills in preparation for the ball.” On the off chance he got to dance with the prince, but Poe didn’t need to know that.

“Really? I thought it was all natural talent.” he teased.

“Then my practice paid off.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Poe’s hands were rough, Finn noticed, and felt amazing entwined with his own. All the nervousness from earlier had melted away, leaving only a feeling of contentedness. Of all the ways he imagined tonight would go, he didn’t expect this, to feel right in Poe’s arms.

“So, how long are you visiting for?” Poe’s voice was a low rumble in his ear.

“Uh, for an indefinite period of time.” Finn almost cringed as he told another half-truth. He told himself that it didn’t matter, that he had to.

It was worth it to see Poe’s face light up. “You deserve a proper tour of the city, and no one knows the city better than me.”

Finn imagined, briefly, the reaction he’d get from Ren if he asked to go city touring with the prince. “I wouldn’t want inconvenience you. I’m sure you have a busy schedule.”

Poe squeezed his hand. “It’d be no trouble at all.”

The song came to a stop, but neither man let go. “Man, I’m tired from all that dancing. I could use some fresh air.”

Finn recognized the invitation in the words. “Fresh air sounds nice.”

 

+++

 

Leia watched over all her guests from the balcony ledge. Everyone looked taken care of and happy, which allowed her to breathe easy. It was funny, she had these parties to provide her and her subjects a night of entertainment, but she was the one who always ended up having the least fun of everyone.

She found Rey in the crowd. She was talking to some gloomy looking fellow who looked desperate to get away from the conversation. Every time he tried to inch away Rey blocked off a potential escape.

 _That girl is up to something._ Leia smiled to herself. She made a note to ask Rey about it later. She spotted Poe moving swiftly through the crowd and she was surprised to see that he wasn’t alone. He was pulling a dazzling young man along by the hand too, with a look on his face that Leia hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Han,” she called softly. She only needed to say his name once before the air rustled behind her.

“You rang for me, princess?” said a low voice behind her.

Every time she looked at Han, she felt like a young woman again. “I keep telling you, I’m a queen now.”

Han’s wings disappeared behind him with a shimmer as he took a step forward. “You’ll always be a princess to me.”

“That happens when you disappear for thirty years.”

He leaned forward to kiss Leia on cheek. “Hey, remember you already forgave me for that.”

“Sorry, it’s easy to forget.” She smiled. “Sometimes, I feel like I’ve hated you for much longer than I loved you.”

“Leia, I love it when you talk dirty to me.” he replied, making her laugh heartily. She had to quiet down not to draw attention to Han and herself.

“I brought a gift, just in case you might be forgetting how lovable I am.” Han went to the ledge and scoured the crowd. “Where’s your son?”

“He walked off with some handsome young man I had never seen before.” At Han’s smirk, her eyes widened. “That was you?”

He bowed. “I never refuse those in need.”

A few weeks earlier, Leia had passively asked Han to find Poe a person, man or woman, that he could truly love. It was the same request that had brought them together all those years ago, then tore them apart.

This time, she kissed Han on the lips. “I don’t think anyone has given me a more perfect gift.”

He shrugged. “I’m a keeper, I know.”

 

+++

 

Poe led Finn to this outdoor garden area in the back of the castle. They sat on a cool stone bench among the blossoming flowers.

Finn shivered in the cool night air. He took of his jacket while they were dancing and forgot to pick it up before they made it outside.

Without any prompting, Poe took off his suit jacket and placed it around Finn’s shoulders. Finn tried to protest, but Poe wouldn’t hear of it.

“I’m warm enough. Besides, it looks better on you.” he said, which sent Finn’s heart into a tailspin.  

Poe moved his gaze to the garden. “This used to be my favorite place when I was a kid. Whenever I got tired of my lessons I’d always hide among the rose bushes. No one ever looked for me here, for some reason.”

Finn brushed the petals of the petunias next to him. It awakened an old memory in him, one he hadn’t thought about in a while. “My mom used to love gardening,” he heard himself say.

Poe gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to continue. He didn’t mean to tell Poe that, but now he has no choice but to continue.

“My mother spent most of her time planting flowers. She used to say that it was like having a rainbow in your backyard.” He heard his mom’s voice, pointing out each flower to him. “She taught me the names of flowers before I even knew my own name.”

“Really? What’s the name of that?” He signaled the group of fiery orange flowers that were right in front of them.

Finn chuckled . “That’s an easy one. Those are tiger lilies.”

“What about those?” He pointed out purple flowers with a yellow middle.

“Irises.”

“Those?”

“Chrysanthemums.”

“And those?”

“Forget me nots.”

“You’re kidding me!” Poe grinned widely. “You really know your shi—stuff, sorry.”

Finn shrugged. “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me whether you talk proper or not.”

Poe kept smiling, but it was softer this time. “You’re amazing, Finn.”

Finn moved his attention from the prince’s open expression to the stone ground. He was afraid that his face would reveal too much of the happiness that was bubbling up inside him.

“It’s nothing more than memorizing some plants.”

The prince put a hand on his shoulder. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re amazing.”

Poe told some stories from his childhood, which fascinated him. Finn had long wondered what it would be like to have a status far above everyone around him. The prince told him about his dreadful tutor Threepio, pranking the maids with Rey, and vast amount of people he met traveling with Leia.

“By the time I was fourteen and Rey was twelve, it was clear that I’d be heir to the throne. Rey told me and Mom that she wasn’t interested in all that, which was a big relief. The last thing I wanted to get into a big fight about it. After that, every day was filled with training to be a king. Mom took me around with her so I could learn how to talk with diplomats from foreign countries. It taught me to be kind to others no matter where they come from.”

They sat in comfortable silence. Finn hadn’t failed to notice how Poe’s hand inched closer to his with each passing second. Finally, the sides of their palms met. Neither man pulled away, and Poe’s face appeared flushed in the moonlight.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’ll be a good king.” the prince blurted out.

Finn scrunched his eyebrows. “Huh?”

“My mom is...amazing. She treats everyone fairly. She doesn’t panic in times of distress. She deals with everyone’s bullshit without breaking a sweat.” Poe stared up at the sky. “I’m not like that. I get frustrated easily and I lose my head. I’m nothing like her. When I become king, people will realize that. They’ll realized that compared to her, I’m a letdown.”

“Are you crazy?” Finn said without thinking. “You’re humble and brave! Everyone knows how you fight alongside the knights, even though you don’t have to. You’re merciful to everyone, no matter how severe their crimes  are. And you visit the poorer communities every week, even though most princes wouldn’t dare lower themselves to talk to the lower classes. You don’t have to worry about letting your people down because they already love you.”

At the prince’s awed expression, it struck him that a person visiting from Jakku probably shouldn’t known all that stuff. Hastily he added, “At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

Their hands were overlapping now. Poe reached around and grabbed his other hand, and suddenly he was much, much closer.

In one breath Poe asked, “Finn, may I kiss you?”

Finn was so focused on the way Poe was looking at him that he almost missed the question. He nodded before the words actually hit him.

Then Poe’s hands were on his face and they were kissing.

It wasn’t like it was his first kiss. Rey had dragged him to enough bars to have several drunken encounters. And yet, when the prince’s lips met his, it felt like the beginning of everything. It was gentle at first, only a soft press of mouths. Finn grabbed the lapels of Poe’s suit and Poe grasped his jaw tightly. They couldn’t get close enough, that’s how it felt to Finn.

They separated for a second. Poe plunged back in, this time with his mouth open. It was so unbelievably good that Finn couldn’t hold back his groan. That only made the prince kiss him harder.

Finn tangled his fingers in the prince’s hair, and the time flew away from them.

 

+++

 

Seriously, time flew away from them.

They parted with heavy breaths and lazy smiles. “Whoa.” Poe said, leaning back against the stone bench.

“Wow.” he agreed.

“I’ve never met anyone like you, Finn.” He intertwined their hands again. “Another day, you should come over the castle for dinner. I could give you the whole tour and everything.”

Finn considered if he’d be able to sneak out long enough for dinner, and that’s when it hit him with a jolt.

“Your Majesty—”

“I think we’ve definitely gotten close enough for you to call me Poe.” he chuckled.

“Poe, what time is it?”

He looked puzzled at the topic change, but took out a pocket watch. “11:58.”

Poe continued on as if there had been no break in their conversation. “I almost canceled the ball. I never thought I’d actually meet someone at one of these things, after all these years of going to them. I guess it’s true what they say, fate works in mysterious ways. Finn?”

When he looked up again, Finn was already halfway to the door.

 

+++

 

Han and Leia returned to the balcony ledge some time later.

“Han,” Leia said slowly. “Why is the young man you brought running through my hall as if he’s got bandits after him?”

Han peered over the ledge and witnessed the scene happening below. The guests quickly moved out of the way as Finn darted through the throng of people to make a beeline for the exit. The prince was hot on his tail.

“Leia, the time!” he asked quickly.

“11:59, why?” she answered.

He stepped backwards enough to be hidden from the crowd’s view and revealed his wings with a shimmer. “I have to go! I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

He got ready to transport to Finn’s location, only to be held by an iron grip.

Leia’s expression was grim. “Don’t you dare think you’re going to disappear without an explanation.”

Han struggled against her grasp. “I don’t have the time to tell you everything.”

“Make time.”

“Perfect men don’t fall out of thin air, Leia! I had to get Finn from very, very humble beginnings and use some magic to make him presentable. The kind of magic that expires at midnight.”

Han winced as she slapped his chest. “Han!”

“I’m fixing it, I'm fixing!”

 

+++

 

Finn had almost made it to his carriage. _Just a few steps closer,_ he kept repeating to himself. He reached out to open the carriage door when he felt someone grab his wrist, holding him back.

“Poe?” He thought for sure that the prince would stop chasing him once he made it to the exit.

“Finn, what’s going on? Why did you run off like that?” He looked concerned, and right then Finn didn’t want to lie anymore.

But the only thing he could say was, “I have to go.”

“Why?” Poe repeated. “Why now? I thought you were having a good time. I thought _we_ were having a good time.”

“I was!” Finn shook his head. “Look, I can’t explain it to you but I have to leave now _._ You’re going to have to trust me on this.”

Poe regarded him with a long gaze. Whatever he saw in Finn’s eyes must have convinced him, because he reluctantly let go of his wrist.

“One more question.” Poe said. “Will I ever see you again?”

Finn leaned in and kissed Poe, one last time. “Maybe. But you won’t like who am if you do.”

Without looking back, he jumped into the carriage. The clock struck twelve as he sped away from the castle, from Poe, from everything.

The minute he stepped on the front lawn of his house, his clothes turned back into rags. He watched his carriage turn back into a pumpkin and roll down the street. Sighing, Finn went straight to his room and collapsed face first onto his bed.

He sensed an extra weight on his left side that had not been there before. “Han.”

“The one and only.” Han spoke up. “You sure took your time, kid. It took everything in me to keep you flying out of the car.”

Finn moved onto his side. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. How was your night?”

Finn rubbed Poe’s jacket, which he was still wearing, between his fingertips. “It was...amazing. Really amazing.”

Han grinned. “Then I’ve done my job. Things are gonna get better for you, Finn, I can feel it.”

Finn drifted off into sleep, with Poe’s hands as the last thought on his mind.

 

+++

 

Rey had never committed murder before and never on a friend, but Finn was pushing her dangerously close to both.

She was the first one outside after Finn’s dramatic exit. Rey saw him kiss her brother and speed away into the night, leaving Poe alone in dark.

She ran to his side immediately. “Poe, are you alright?”

Poe didn’t answer her. In fact, he didn’t talk to anybody. He walked right past everyone, back into the castle and up the stairs. He didn’t come back down for the rest of the party.

Rey did what a good sister does and covered for Poe. She socialized with the guests and casually deflected their questions about Poe’s mystery man. When it got late enough, she not so subtly shoved everyone out of her house.

Once mostly everyone had left, Rey went straight to Poe’s room. He wasn’t there, which meant he couldn’t sleep. She went to his favorite places, but he wasn’t in the study, the garden, or the secret staircase behind the huge armoire in the hallway. After searching all over the castle, she gave up and went to her room. _Poe will show up when he wants to be found._ she thought to herself. So it was only fitting that she’d find Poe lying on her bed, still in his suit.

Rey jumped. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Poe said nothing. Rey sighed, then laid down next to him in her dress.

After what felt like forever, Poe said, “I’ve never met anyone like him, Rey.”

“I know.”

“It was like a dream. One minute he’s there and we’re having a great time, the next minute he’s gone. Maybe it was a dream.” He reached out and touched Rey’s forehead. “Rey? Are you actually here?”

She smacked his hand away. “Yes, you weirdo. And you weren’t dreaming, I saw him too.” This was the perfect moment to tell Poe she knew Finn better than he thought, yet the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

“I should’ve begged him to stay a little longer or at least asked where he was staying—”

“Staying?”

“He’s visiting from Jakku. They’ve got nobility in that barren desert land, can you believe it?”

“No, I can’t.” Rey said drily. Seriously, she was going to kill Finn.

“Now, who knows when I’ll see him again.” The mournful tone in Poe’s voice made her heart pang. He was truly smitten with Finn.

“Don’t be sad, Poe. You know what they say, ‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ and all that.”

Poe snorted. “That’s your way of trying to comfort me? Shakespeare?”

Rey shoved him. “Fine. Weep all you want, see if I care!” But she laughed along with him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fix this.” she said under her breath.

Anyway, it didn’t matter. Poe was already drifting off into the sleep, the last thought in his mind of Finn’s smile.

 

+++

Rey awoke to an empty bed and the sound of guards moving throughout the castle. She heard her brother’s voice saying, “Whatever it takes.”

She changed in her much more comfortable pants and tunic and left her room. She walked up to Poe, who had just finished talking to the guard.

“Morning,” she yawned. “What are you up to?”

“I was thinking a lot about everything last night,” Poe told her as they walked down the hallway together. “And I decided. I have to find him.”

“So you sent out the entire Royal Guard?” Rey asked in disbelief.

“Not the whole Guard! I asked of few of them to do a cursory search throughout the city to see if he’s staying at one of the inns or with someone.” Poe ran a hand through his hair. “It’d be easier if I had something to track him with, like a shoe or glove…”

“Of course. And then you’d marry a grandpa who had Finn’s shoe size.” Rey giggled. “I have something better than that.”

Poe stopped. “Like what?”

“Like an address.”

If everything worked out, Poe would never tell her she was bad at matchmaking again.

 

+++

 

As soon as Finn woke up, he was tempted to believed that the whole night had been a dream. He would’ve, except for the fact that he was still clutching Poe’s jacket in his arms. He brought the clothes to his nose and the memories of kissing Poe, the scent of him filling all of Finn’s senses, came back to him.

 _Definitely not a dream,_ he thought.

He didn’t want to get out of bed. That one night of being treated like a human being was like drug, he couldn’t get enough of it. It pained him to think of walking out of his bedroom door and becoming a mistreated servant again. However, he couldn’t stay in his room forever. He heard Phasma and Hux moving around outside and knew it was only a matter of time before they forcefully woke him up to run some errand for them.

They were talking loudly about the ball. “I didn’t even catch a glance of him! It’s all because of that stupid girl. She stuck to me the whole night, I couldn’t get rid of her. And I couldn’t say anything because she’s the princess.” Phasma scoffed. “Some princess!”

“She stuck to me the whole night too. Not to mention we had the worst seats, did you notice that?” Hux said.

Finn sent a silent thanks to Rey in his mind. It would’ve been utter chaos if his family recognized him at the party.

“Whoever he was, the prince’s mystery man must be a truly special person. He didn’t come down for the rest of the night after he left.” Finn listened closely as Hux continued. “Also, I heard he’s sending the Guard door to door to locate him. Apparently, the mystery man is some foreign dignitary.”

“Really? I heard he was a drop-dead gorgeous prince from a far away country, here on business.” Their voices got softer as they went downstairs.

Finn laid there in shock. _Poe is searching me? That can’t be true._ The thought of the prince looking for the high ranking noble Finn claimed to be and finding out no such person existed only added to his pain. Right then, he made a resolution.

He was never going to meet Poe again. It was wrong of him to lie to Poe in the extent that he did. For that reason alone, Finn didn’t deserve to be in his presence. He was sure that if the prince ever discovered the truth, he would never forgive him. So the first moment he was able to sneak away, he’d find Rey and tell not to Poe any information about his whereabouts. He was confident that Poe would forget about in no time. After all, he was the _prince._ Poe must have suitors fighting for his attention every day. It wouldn’t be long before he forgot about Finn and moved on with his life.  

Yes, this would be better for the both of them.

With resolve, Finn got out of bed. He slung Poe’s suit jacket over his shoulder and grabbed his laundry basket. He might as well get a headstart on his chores so he could return the prince’s jacket to Rey freshly washed.

As he walked downstairs he vaguely heard someone knocked, but ignored it. It wouldn’t kill Phasma or Hux to open a door for once in their lives. He paused as he heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by Phasma calling for Hux. To get to the laundry room, he’d have to walk through the kitchen and past the foyer, so Finn would see who it was soon enough.

He increased his pace and casually walked through the kitchen door with a clear view of front entrance. When he saw who the visitor was, the basket fell from his hands with a loud bang.

A silence stretched on in the room for a few agonizing minutes.

Then Poe said, “That’s my jacket.”

Finn ran out of the room without a second thought.

  


+++

 

Finn found himself in the backyard. It was a mistake to run in one direction, considering his only destination was surrounded by fences. There was an exit, but he didn’t have a lot of time—

“Finn!” Poe grabbed his wrist.

Scratch that, he was already out of time.

“We have to stop leaving each other like this. I’m not as athletic as I look.” Poe joked.

Finn focused on the ground and said nothing.

Poe’s tone changed from playful to serious. “I’m confused about all of this, Finn. You’re going to have to explain it to me.”

Finn clenched his fists. “I lied. I’m not from Jakku, I’m not a noble. I’m nothing more than a servant. That’s who you danced with last night. A peasant.”

“Finn…”

He refused to look at Poe. “You have every right to be angry with me. I betrayed your trust and made you believe I was someone I wasn’t. I deserve any punishment that comes my way.”

“Finn!” Poe grabbed both of his hands. “Please, look at me.”

He finally let their eyes meet. “But you have to know, I never meant to hurt you.”

Finn was prepared to see a look of disgust or hatred, not the fondness that occupied the prince’s gaze.

“I’m not happy that you lied to me, but I understand why you did. I’m more upset that you think I’m that cold of a person.”

All of this was the opposite of what he thought Poe would say. “What?”

“I’d have to be a real asshole to turn someone away because of their social status.” Poe ran a thumb over his knuckles. “Especially someone I haven’t stopped thinking about since I met them.”

Finn’s heartbeat picked up. “I wasn’t trying to call you a bad person. But you’re a prince. Princes don’t usually court peasants.”

“You’re right, I’m a prince. That means I get to choose who I want to be with, even if they’re not nobility.” Poe grinned. “Besides, I know my mom will love you.”

“But…”

“Finn. When we were sitting out there in the garden, did you feel something?”

“Of course.” He didn’t even have to think about.

Poe beamed. “I feel the same way. You want to make it up to me? Come to dinner at my house.”

Finn smiled back. “I’d love to.”

 

+++

 

After years of courting and building a strong relationship, Poe and Finn got married in view of the entire country. And of course, they lived happily ever after.

 


End file.
